The invention relates to a plant/weed extraction tool that is designed particularly, but not exclusively, to extract deep-rooted plants such as dock and thistle quickly, with realistic ease and minimum ground disturbance.
Weeds and their removal have always been and are a constant problem. When considering well-kept gardens and established lawns, the appearance of sporadic weeds is very unwelcome. When the ground is consolidated around the plant, it is difficult to effectuate the plants removal. Currently the solution is to treat the plant with weed killer or to extract it using a common garden tool such as a spade, fork or trowel. Both approaches have disadvantages. For example, weed-killers are poisonous chemicals that have to be handled carefully, and are not eco-friendly. After careful application of the weed-killer, it can take up to 3 weeks for the plant to die, although this is not always successful. Evidence shows that plant recovery can occur. This suggests that the complete root system is not always killed, hence allowing new growth. There have also been problems where the grass (supposedly resistant to relevant weed-killers) surrounding the weed has also been killed, leaving large unsightly bald patches in the lawn. Digging out the weed with conventional tools takes considerable effort, and can produce a large hole with a lot of ground and lawn disturbance, not proportional to the diameter of the common weed root. Extensive and time-consuming lawn repairs may then be necessary.
An object of this invention is to produce a plant/weed extraction tool, that provides for immediate and not difficult substantially complete extraction of the plant root structure, or so very much of the plant root structure so as to ensure no further growth of the plant. The tool leaves a comparatively small hole that may be filled with loose soil, which is soon covered by natural growth and the encroachment of surrounding grass. A method of making such a tool is a second aspect of this invention.
The present invention is as claimed in the claims.
Preferably the tool""s body is generally rectangular in cross-section for inherent strength, but likewise it could be round, square, or elliptical. Such a plant/weed extraction tool is very strong due to the right angle returns of the tools"" profile, and may be designed with a penetration point, angled cutting edges, soil compression action and a containment chamber defined by the tubular position with a slotted front to allow quick and easy plant/weed insertion and removal.
Conveniently, insertion is the initial locating of the plant/weed into the tools containment chamber via the slotted front, prior to downward thrust into the ground. Removal is the pulling out of the plant/weed from the containment chamber through the tools slotted front, which may also facilitate the removal of any soil present, by pushing out with a stick, or similar object for example.
Preferably, there are one or more penetration points near the angled cutting edges, which assist accurate location and cutting motion of the tool. The angled cutting edges could be sharpened or otherwise tapered.
There may be provided a specifically engineered tool with a rectangular body for strength and a design that allows for quick and easy plant extraction with minor ground disturbance. An immediate eco-friendly removal solution to deep-rooted or otherwise, plants and weeds.
Soil compression within the tool""s containment chamber, occurs when the tool is thrust downward in the ground. The wall of the tool displaces the same quantity of soil as its wall thickness. This displacement creates additional enough holding compression around the soil/root plug by forcing soil into the narrower space of the tool""s containment chamber 6 of FIG. 4, compared to the slightly larger ground space/area that existed before the tool was inserted into the ground.
Preferably the tool is made from metal with a non-slip plastic/PVC/rubber type handle grip. But it may instead be made from plastics material, wood or a combination of these materials.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: